PCNSE Securing Traffic and App-ID Practice Question
A firewall shows session logs with application 'incomplete' for many SSL connections. Which action should be taken to improve App-ID accuracy?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates think enabling HTTP/2 decoding (Option B) will solve the issue, but HTTP/2 is a transport protocol, not a decryption mechanism; without SSL decryption, the firewall still cannot see the encrypted payload regardless of the HTTP version.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable SSL decryption for the traffic.
The 'incomplete' application label indicates that the firewall could not fully identify the application because the traffic was encrypted. Enabling SSL decryption allows the firewall to inspect the decrypted payload, which is necessary for App-ID to accurately classify the application. Without decryption, App-ID can only rely on metadata like IP addresses and ports, which is often insufficient for SSL connections.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Disable application identification for SSL traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling would not help.
- ✗
Enable HTTP/2 protocol decoding.
Why it's wrong here
HTTP/2 is a protocol, but without decryption, still encrypted.
- ✓
Enable SSL decryption for the traffic.
Why this is correct
Decryption reveals the underlying application.
- ✗
Allow sessions with application 'incomplete' in policy.
Why it's wrong here
Allowing does not improve identification.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCNSE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Palo Alto Networks certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PCNSE exam.